Although network computers are significantly smaller than personal computers, they contain a number of similar electronic components such as a motherboard, a hard disk drive, connectors, feature card slots and the like. Each of the components is rigidly mounted to an internal frame or chassis. A thin profile, external housing or enclosure is removably attached to the chassis for allowing the user access to the components. The enclosure also protects the exposed components from physical contact and shields the components from electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Until now, a standard density 3.5.times.1 inch hard disk drive has been geometrically incompatible with small network computers. Instead, computer designers have selected smaller, more expensive drives with comparable densities such as a 2.5 inch drive. Smaller drives were also selected to avoid sacrificing one of the feature card slots in the computer. However, in some designs even a smaller hard disk drive required computer designers to sacrifice a feature card slot. For these designs, conventional computer architecture taught the use of a voluminous metal shadow box that the ISA or PCI cards could mount to. Although shadow boxes and smaller, more expensive drives are workable with network computers, an improved network computer design which is compatible with an unboxed conventional drive is desirable.